senseless, drunken killing of a student by , a group of his fellows, who are ostensi- bly enraged, first, by the CIrcumstance that he accidentally wears a football let- ter to which he isn't entitled and, second, by a series of theoretically controversial editorials he has wrItten for the college paper. Actually, as Mr. Bellak tries, not too successfully, to say, they are moved by the fact that he is different, In- tellectually superior, and therefore dan- gerous to the only kind of society they can understand. The hero of the piece is the victim's roommate, who also finds the boy rather irritating and incom- prehensible but still remains immune to the general hysteria. He is a witness to. the murder, but though he is horrified by it, a dim sort of divided allegiance . keeps him from interfering physically. The rest of the play is concerned with his inward struggle to decide whether or not to tell what he knows. The pres- sures on both sides are almost equal: His conscience and his affection for the boy's family (almost inevItably there is a beautiful sister) urge that he should; schoolboy ideas about informing, the veiled threats of the aggressively real- istic father of one of the culprits, and the feeble cynicism of a professor, who apparently represents the attitude of the faculty, impel him to keep quiet. Ulti- mately, he goes to the police, but they,' --... .- ' too, are inclined to hush the whole " II! ."Y thing up, and it is only when the culprits , " ,," ,::':':::ï:',', .., : confess, naming him as a ringleader, that a kind of parody justice (suspend- ed sentences and five-hundred-dollar ' "J"i fines) is achieved. In the final scene, {1 which has its Grand Guignol aspects, the four killers silently close in on him, and only his fortunate posseSSIon of a t baseball bat saves him from extinction. The principal flaw in Mr. Bellak's ). treatment is a failure to provide suffi- " cient motivation for the original vio- lence (the editorials, as quoted, are not even mildly suhversive, and the victim's general behavior certainly suggests no threat to a way of life), but there are a good many others, including an ill- advised attempt to equip the boy with a revolutionary background, In the form of a grandfather who seems to have been some kind of low-comedy firebrand in Dublin, and a lengthy and almost totally meanIngless speech by one of the killers, apparently Intended to imply that his war service in Korea has con- ditioned him for civilian slaughter. In Ü1r1nlt spite of these and further errors of what 'll . @ I take to be political and literary naÏveté, I was rather impressed by Mr. Bellak's play, and I wish that, with some re- writing and recasting, it could be trans- ferred to a theatre where more people 68 , ;/ "" .. ,<"'.......... : ;!. tt.:. t' .h- . -'> \1 . - " " :1..,' -lY , ^ ^ "'... ^",. ú' ;!i .., I i , I f5 I < i I ' ,; < f Jj t /fA I 1. , / I J 1. , "! ,.. \, \ ,,\\ it\\ " J,' 1/ , .;j ..{ i...1 en d'i eJo n kj r-t s P'9rè" :.virgin wÒút::.,Turnabo.:ut*. : pendlétòn's reversible. t).vQ-skirt "'ln-one! Six Scotch Tartaps that change- cQlùr in a trice... pI a ts stitched to stay 10 tQ 16 $29.95. Wnte for name of nearest store and Pendleton's conlp!f>l(.> skIrt Etory. P.P.S. 8(\0 ppndleton's sweaters, too! * Patented Write Dept. 26 Pendleton Woolen MiUs · PortJønd 4, Oregon Theatre Dlnner-$4.50. Dinner. After Theatre Supper. CHAUNCEY GRAY and his orchestra QUINTERO & his Rhumba Band JANI SARKOZI and his Royal Hungarian Orch. Closed Mondays. Reservations. Henri · PLaza 5-1000 0he Amhassador PARK AVE. · 51st ST. >\ JANUARY 8, 1 9 5 5 (;vÆfJ GAV, C ) distinctive, and so relaxable ( 11)f' .--..,'- / --=-- -.:::; . The Florida Gold Coast's smartest resort city got that way for three very good reasons-her country-squireish setting close to famed metropolitan centers. . . her brighter social and sportive mood that leads you on a gay whirl of recreation and congenlal con- viviality...her serene air of enchant.ment that helps you relax and get- so much more good from a winter vacation. For all the tempting details, simply address: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, Dept. N Delray Beach, Florida --v-,. -. ... . .)-. i .t .0:....:. ". .<.:.. '" . , .<- 000.:" ".." ON A FLORIDA BEACH ( Directly on the oceanfront, the Seacrest Hotel is an ideal spot for a long winter holiday in the sun. W on- derful food American Plan. Cocktail lounge. Ocean bathIng directly from your room. Best deep water fishing Polo. Golf. Between t Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. (l NEW ownershIp " > m!nagement. - ....::::. )eac'res I '-- I DELRA Y BEACH FLORIDA WrIte for folder A for rates ., first N. Y. showing of paintings RALPH NELSON Jan. 9-30 RIVERSIDE MUSEUM 103rd st. & Riverside Drive Bibs Towels Wash Cloths Bath Robes Bath Blankets PUTNAM KNITTING CO., BOX N,COHOES, N.Y. Baby Goods Shower Gifts